After starting the year at slightly more than $80 a barrel, oil prices yesterday (Tuesday) rose to their highest level in two years, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude surging as high as $90.76 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).
But that 13% advance is just the beginning.
Crude oil prices are poised to again break the psychologically important $100 a barrel mark in a bid to move higher throughout 2011 and 2012, and some forecasters are calling for prices to zoom by as much as 65% from here.
If that happens, crude oil would approach - or possibly even eclipse - the all-time high of $147 a barrel, a price not seen since the summertime speculative frenzy of 2008.
2011
Article Index
Asia Forecast: High Growth Rates Will Create Top Profit Opportunities For 2011
Asia was a great place to invest this year.
While some individual Latin American markets have outpaced their Asian counterparts, the fact is that the 10.9% return of the overall MSCI Asia Index outdistanced the 10.3% return of the "Americas" region.
Investors can expect more of the same in the New Year. The fact is that the Asian region - including Australia and New Zealand - was a profit powerhouse in 2010. And Asia's prospects for 2011 are even brighter:
While some individual Latin American markets have outpaced their Asian counterparts, the fact is that the 10.9% return of the overall MSCI Asia Index outdistanced the 10.3% return of the "Americas" region.
Investors can expect more of the same in the New Year. The fact is that the Asian region - including Australia and New Zealand - was a profit powerhouse in 2010. And Asia's prospects for 2011 are even brighter:
- It's where a great majority of the world's growth is taking place.
- And it's where investors can reap their biggest profits - if they pick the right investments in the best Asian markets.
In this report, we're going to detail that all for you...
Investing in the Americas: Natural Resource Prices Will Be Key to 2011 Profits
Whether you win or lose on your Americas-related investments in 2011 will come down to a single factor - natural-resource prices.
If the prices of oil, gold, copper and other natural resources are high, the hideous flaws in the economies of a number of the countries north and south of the U.S. border will remain hidden behind, as if by magic.
But if resource prices plummet, then even some of the best-run countries in North and South America will probably stumble a bit - and several will be revealed as true economic basket cases.
When we refer to "the Americas," we're talking about all the countries in North, Central and South America - with the United States excluded. There's a great divergence in potential. So let's begin our journey with Latin America.
To learn which four markets to invest in, please read on...
If the prices of oil, gold, copper and other natural resources are high, the hideous flaws in the economies of a number of the countries north and south of the U.S. border will remain hidden behind, as if by magic.
But if resource prices plummet, then even some of the best-run countries in North and South America will probably stumble a bit - and several will be revealed as true economic basket cases.
When we refer to "the Americas," we're talking about all the countries in North, Central and South America - with the United States excluded. There's a great divergence in potential. So let's begin our journey with Latin America.
To learn which four markets to invest in, please read on...
Gold Price Forecast: Four Reasons the "Yellow Metal" Will Hit $1,900 an Ounce in 2011
Gold investors are a happy bunch. Those with the luck or foresight to have boarded the golden railroad back in 2001 have experienced a fivefold investment in the "metal of kings." That works out to compounded return of better than 20% a year.
Such a torrid performance has evoked claims that this is just another financial bubble - that's soon to burst.
But the reality is that anyone who classifies this bull market in gold to be nothing more than a bubble simply hasn't looked at the market fundamentals, doesn't understand them, or has an ulterior motive.
Precious metals - and gold in particular - have been the asset class of the decade. But it's not too late to climb aboard - there's still plenty more growth to come.
In fact, before 2011 closes out, I predict that each ounce of the prized "yellow metal" will be trading at $1,900 - an increase of about 37% from yesterday's (Wednesday's) closing price of about $1,390 an ounce.
Such a torrid performance has evoked claims that this is just another financial bubble - that's soon to burst.
But the reality is that anyone who classifies this bull market in gold to be nothing more than a bubble simply hasn't looked at the market fundamentals, doesn't understand them, or has an ulterior motive.
Precious metals - and gold in particular - have been the asset class of the decade. But it's not too late to climb aboard - there's still plenty more growth to come.
In fact, before 2011 closes out, I predict that each ounce of the prized "yellow metal" will be trading at $1,900 - an increase of about 37% from yesterday's (Wednesday's) closing price of about $1,390 an ounce.
No Rest for the Weary: Unemployment to Remain High Through 2011 and Beyond
Stocks are up nearly 70% from their bear market lows. Corporate profits are rising. And the economy is expanding. Yet the unemployment rate continues to hover around 10%.
Neither President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus program, nor the U.S. Federal Reserve's quantitative easing has generated enough good news to convince companies to hire meaningful numbers of new workers.
Of the 8.7 million people who lost their jobs during the recession, more than 7.3 million are still without work. There are still nearly five job seekers for every job opening. In fact, adding in workers who are working part time but looking for full-time work and those who have given up looking all together brings the "real" unemployment rate to a staggering 17% compared to 16.5% last year, the latest government report shows.
Neither President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus program, nor the U.S. Federal Reserve's quantitative easing has generated enough good news to convince companies to hire meaningful numbers of new workers.
Of the 8.7 million people who lost their jobs during the recession, more than 7.3 million are still without work. There are still nearly five job seekers for every job opening. In fact, adding in workers who are working part time but looking for full-time work and those who have given up looking all together brings the "real" unemployment rate to a staggering 17% compared to 16.5% last year, the latest government report shows.
No Rebound in 2011 as the Housing Market Continues to Rot
The year of 2010 saw very little improvement in the housing sector, and that's not likely to change in 2011.
The industry's weaknesses - high unemployment, tight credit, ineffectual government programs, soaring inventories, plunging prices, and so on - are simply too gaping to be resolved by next year.
Even the normally ultra-optimistic National Association of Realtors (NAR) came out of its annual conference in New Orleans in early November with a frown on its face, predicting that, "nationwide, homeowners can expect little, if any, increase in home values in 2011."
The real estate research and online brokerage firm Zillow agreed, issuing a report on Nov. 10 noting that U.S. home values fell by 4.3% in the third quarter and chances for improvement over the winter are slim.
The industry's weaknesses - high unemployment, tight credit, ineffectual government programs, soaring inventories, plunging prices, and so on - are simply too gaping to be resolved by next year.
Even the normally ultra-optimistic National Association of Realtors (NAR) came out of its annual conference in New Orleans in early November with a frown on its face, predicting that, "nationwide, homeowners can expect little, if any, increase in home values in 2011."
The real estate research and online brokerage firm Zillow agreed, issuing a report on Nov. 10 noting that U.S. home values fell by 4.3% in the third quarter and chances for improvement over the winter are slim.
Chile: The One Emerging Market That Investors Can't Afford to Ignore in 2011
When I review each of the world's emerging markets in order to decide which ones to buy in 2011, I start with two questions:
If the answer is "yes" for both those questions, that market is much more likely to get my vote.
But with every rule, there are also exceptions. As we will see.
- Is the market cheap?
- And has it under-performed over the past year?
If the answer is "yes" for both those questions, that market is much more likely to get my vote.
But with every rule, there are also exceptions. As we will see.
To discover the one market you can't afford to ignore in the New Year, please read on...